News Story - Idaho State Journal

tflagstad@journalnet.com

POCATELLO -- The last time the Idaho State soccer team played at Brigham Young, Provo, Utah, native Jana Boehler couldn't take the field.

An illness that year forced the junior forward to sit out the entire 2006 season, so she didn't get to play in her home town that year.

In the Bengals' opening match of the 2008 campaign, Boehler suffered a strain to the medial collateral ligament in her right knee, and she hasn't played since. But after practicing Wednesday, she hopes to take the field for Idaho State when it makes a weekend swing through Utah.

If she can't go in today's 4 p.m. contest at Utah Valley in Orem, Utah, she certainly hopes to be ready when the Bengals square off against the Cougars at 7 p.m. Saturday.

"BYU, for me, is a big deal," said Boehler, whose status will be a game-time decision for both matches. "When I was little, I went to their games every week and sat in that stadium for those night games. I always wanted to play on that field."

While the trip south certainly carries extra meaning for Boehler and the nine other Utah natives on Idaho State's roster, the two matches are more than a chance to play in front of family and friends. It's an opportunity for the Bengals to put last weekend's disappointment in the Governor's Cup behind them.

"That was a tough weekend; there's no two ways about it for a lot of different reasons," said coach Allison Gibson. "This weekend is really important for us. One to just rebound from that weekend and definitely try to pull a victory off. Two (wins) would be fantastic."

Idaho State currently is muddled in a three-match losing skid, and the Bengals will try to avoid dropping four in a row for the first time since 2006, Gibson's first year leading the program.

Gibson admits the inexperience of the team has shown at times this season. The Bengals started four freshmen in Sunday's 2-0 loss to Idaho, while three others played significant minutes off the bench.

In some areas, the newcomers have exceeded the coach's expectations, but there's no substitute for game experience.

"That's showing up big in some of our games we're not performing as well in," Gibson said. "They bring the effort and energy, but it's just tactical decisions and technical decisions that they just aren't used to making at this level."

Despite the three straight defeats, players insist they're improving, and the team's mood remains upbeat.

"We learned from it," freshman Megan Stainbrook said of Idaho State's two losses to in-state rivals. "Obviously, you're gonna learn more from a loss than what you're gonna take from a win. We've learned, and we've come closer as a team."

Besides, it's still very early in the season.

As much as she wants to play against BYU, Boehler won't risk the rest of the season simply to come back in time to face the Cougars because she knows there are more important conference matches ahead.

Similarly, she doesn't expect anyone to start hanging her head because of a few early season defeats.

"That's the biggest thing. We just need to know that it's not over," Boehler said. "We have a lot of games left, and we just need to keep our heads up and keep playing hard. We're not even in the Big Sky yet. There's a lot of improvements that can be made, but we're making 'em. We're learning from our mistakes, and we're getting better."

By Tim Flagstad

This document was originally published online on Thursday, September 11, 2008

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